THIRD BRÂHMANA.

12:1:3:11. Now, when they are initiated they indeed offer sacrifice to the deities Agni and Vishnu: they become the deities Agni and Vishnu, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with Agni and Vishnu.

12:1:3:22. And when they perform the opening sacrifice they indeed offer sacrifice to the deity Aditi: they become the deity Aditi, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with Aditi.

12:1:3:33. And when they proceed with the buying (of Soma-plants) they indeed offer sacrifice to the deity Soma: they become the deity Soma, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with Soma.

12:1:3:44. And when they perform the guest-offering they indeed offer sacrifice to the deity Vishnu: they become the deity Vishnu, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with Vishnu.

12:1:3:55. And when they perform the Pravargya-offering 1 they indeed offer sacrifice to the deity Âditya: they become the deity Âditya, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with Âditya (the sun).

12:1:3:66. And when they enter upon the Upasads they indeed offer sacrifice to those very deities 2 who (receive oblations) at the Upasads: they become those deities, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with those deities.

12:1:3:77. And when they perform the animal sacrifice to Agni and Soma 3 they indeed offer sacrifice to the deities Agni and Soma: they become the deities Agni and Soma, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with Agni and Soma.

12:1:3:88. And when they perform the opening Atirâtra (of the sacrificial session) they indeed offer sacrifice to those deities, the Day and Night 4: they become those deities, the Day and Night, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with the Day and Night.

12:1:3:99. And when they enter upon the Katurvimsa day they indeed offer sacrifice to that deity, the Year 5: they become that deity, the Year, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with the Year.

12:1:3:1010. And when they enter upon the Abhiplava-shadaha they indeed offer sacrifice to those deities, the Half-months and Months: they become those deities, the Half-months and Months, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with the Half-months and Months.

12:1:3:1111. And when they enter upon the Prishthya-shadaha they indeed offer sacrifice to those deities, the Seasons: they become those deities, the Seasons, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with the Seasons.

12:1:3:1212. And when they enter upon the Abhigit (day) they indeed offer sacrifice to the deity Agni: they become the deity Agni, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with Agni.

12:1:3:1313. And when they enter upon the Svarasâman (days) they indeed offer sacrifice to that deity, the Waters: they become that deity, the Waters, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with the Waters.

12:1:3:1414. And when they enter upon the Vishuvat (day) they indeed offer sacrifice to the deity Âditya they become the deity Âditya, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with Âditya. The Svarasâmans have been told.

12:1:3:1515. And when they enter upon the Visvagit (day) they indeed offer sacrifice to the deity Indra: they become the deity Indra, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with Indra. The Prishthya and Abhiplava (shadahas) have been told.

12:1:3:1616. And when they enter upon (the performance of) the Go and Âyus (stoma) 1 they indeed offer sacrifice to the deities Mitra and Varuna: they

become the deities Mitra and Varuna, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with Mitra and Varuna.

12:1:3:1717. And when they enter upon the Dasarâtra they indeed offer sacrifice to that deity the Visve Devâh: they become that deity, the Visve Devâh, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with the Visve Devâh.

12:1:3:1818. And when they enter upon the Prishthya-shadaha of the Dasarâtra they indeed offer sacrifice to those deities, the Regions: they become those deities, the Regions, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with the Regions.

12:1:3:1919. And when they enter upon the Khandomas they indeed offer sacrifice to those deities, these Worlds: they become those deities, these Worlds, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with these Worlds.

12:1:3:2020. And when they enter upon the tenth day (of the Dasarâtra) they indeed offer sacrifice to that deity, the Year: they become that deity, the Year, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with the Year.

12:1:3:2121. And when they enter upon the Mahâvrata they indeed offer sacrifice to the deity Pragâpati: they become the deity Pragâpati, and attain to fellowship and co-existence with Pragâpati.

12:1:3:2222. And when they enter upon the concluding Atirâtra (of the sacrificial session), then, indeed, having gained the Year, they establish themselves in the world of heaven. And were any one to ask them, 'To what deity are ye offering sacrifice this day? what deity are ye? with what deity do ye dwell?' let them name of those (deities) the one to whom they may be nearest (in the performance of the Sattra). And,

verily, such (sacrificers) are seated (sad) in the good 1 (place), for they are for ever seated among the good deities; and the others are mere partakers in the sacrificial session 2; and if any one were, during a sacrificial session, to speak evil of such initiates as know this, let them say to him, 'We cut thee off from those deities;' and he becomes the worse, and they themselves become the better for it.

12:1:3:2323. That same year contains three great rites (mahâvrata):--the great rite on the Katurvimsa day, the great rite on the Vishuvat day, and the great rite 3 on the Mahâvrata day itself. Now, those of old used, indeed, to enter upon (perform) that (year's session) with three great rites, and they became glorious, truth-speaking, and faithful to their vow; but if nowadays any (sattrins) were to perform it on this wise, they assuredly would crumble away even as a jar of unbaked clay would crumble away if water were poured into it. They (who do so) perform too much: that (object) of theirs is gained by truth, by toil, by fervid devotion, by faith, by sacrifice, and by oblations.

144:2 That is, those who perform a sacrificial session (sattra) without their possessing the esoteric knowledge regarding the several ceremonies, set forth in the preceding paragraphs, are mere 'sattrasadah' (i.e. 'merely sitting through the sacrificial session') whilst those possessing that knowledge are 'sari sadah.'

144:3 That is, more especially, the chanting of the Mahâvrata-sâman, for which see part iv, p. 282, note 5.